Mouth-protective bit



Sept. 27, 1949;. J. L. SINGER 2,483,157

' MOUTH-PROTECTIVE BIT Filed June 17, 1946 ISnnentor JOHN L. SAL 75$? Patented Sept. 27, 1949 MOUTH-PROTECTIVE BIT John L. Singer, St. Petersburg, Fla; Rose B. Singer administratrixof said John L. Singer,

deceased Application June 17, 1946, Serial No. 677,182

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-136) This invention relates to mouth-protective bits for athletes in general, and for boxers in particular.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a bit of this type which fits comfortably in the wearers mouth and permits considerable freedom of natural movement of his jaw and tongue without falling out of his mouth, yet effectively protects his mouth, and particularly his teeth, from outside blows as long as the bit is worn.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the bit;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bit;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the bit; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates a bit of the type which is worn by boxers or other athletes liable to receive blows on the mouth in the pursuit of their athletic activities. The instant bit I0 is preferably formed from elastic rubber or a like material, and may be of the general crescent shape shown in Fig. 3. The bit II) has an arcuate web l2 of considerable thickness which the wearer grips with his teeth, and integral frontal lips or shields l4 of considerably smaller thickness which extend oppositely from the opposite faces I5, l5, respectively, of the web and are adapted to be received. between the lips and adjacent teeth of the wearer. The frontal lips l4 protect the wearers teeth and gums from outside blows, and serve additionally to hold the bit l0 securely in the wearers mouth against accidental removal therefrom, as will be readily understood.

As shown, the opposite faces l5, l of the bit Ill are provided along their inner margins with ridges I6, respectively, which are adapted to project behind the wearers teeth and effectively separate the latter from the wearers tongue. Hence, the ridges l6 accomplish that the wearers tongue may never be near enough to his upper or lower teeth to become painfully pinged or bitten thereby when the wearer is subjected to a blow on his mouth.

Since it is natural for a person to breathe through his or her nose and mouth when the mouth is open, as is the case when the bit I0 is worn, and in order not to interfere with the natural breathing of an athlete wearing the bit, the latter is provided with air holes or vents l8 through which the wearer may take in air with every breath. Provided in the bit I0 is a further passage 20 which leads from one face I5 of the web 12 into one of the air passages l8 for the discharge therethrough of saliva collecting in the wearers mouth.

The instant bit Ill is highly efiective in protecting the wearers mouth, and particularly his teeth and gums, from blows against the wearers mouth, in that the web I2 is sufficiently thick to absorb the impact of the lower or upper teeth of the wearer under an outside blow Without transmitting such impact to the opposite teeth. Also, the ridges [6 on the bit safeguard the wearers tongue from painful impact with, or bite from, the teeth under an outside blow on the mouth. The ridges I6 also permit a certain freedom of movement of the wearers jaw such as caused by the wearers efforts to discharge excess saliva through the passage 20, without letting the wearers tongue come near his teeth. Hence, the present bit does not appreciably restrain the wearer, and affords him the opportunity safely to work his mouth in much the same manner as if no bit were worn. Thus, the present bit l0 makes for comfort of the wearer, this being a highly desirable feature of the bit since any restraint placed upon an athlete will have its adverse effect on his athletic performance. The wearers tongue rests normally and conveniently against the inner curved wall of the bit, and may be moved entirely without restraint from the bit and without getting near dangerous close contact with the wearers teeth.

It will be understood that various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mouth-protective bit having a web of elastic rubber or the like shaped to fit between the users teeth, integral lips extending oppositely from the opposite faces, respectively, of said web along the outer margin of the latter, and opposite ridges on said faces, respectively, of the web along the inner margin of the latter, said web having a saliva passage extending from one of said faces to said outer margin of said web.

2. A mouth-protective bit having a web of class REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Brown Apr. 29, 1919 Shapiro Oct. 4, 1927 Record et a1 Feb. 2, 1932 Poindexter Mar. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Countrv Date Germany Aug. 2, 1929 Germany Dec. 12, 1921 France Aug. 18, 1930 

